A Losing Game
by FragileBrutality
Summary: Somewhere, among the uprising smoke and destruction, an agile yet lethal warrior looked to her master. The astute creature gave a slow nod to the beauty at his side. Seven warriors looked into the oblivion before them, this was their time of justice...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey KFP fans! Ever since I watched these amazing movies i'v been in love with this pairing. I know it's not everyone's taste and I respect people's opinions so i'm trying to write this as realistic to the characters as possible. If master Shifu and Tigress ever were to start a relationship then I believe it would go something like this. Also this fic isn't all about the pairing, it has a huge story too! Please review, I'm interested to see what people think about my idea of this pairing :) I do not own any of the Kung Fu Panda movies or it's wonderful characters. Enjoy!**

"Tigress!", Po's voice was surprisingly loud through the atrocious noise of the gorilla guards. Loud enough in fact, to draw a very bloodthirsty tiger away from her fight and leap into a completely anticipated stance. Po ran at her with his slacking speed, but that didn't really matter; Tigress used the strength in her long arms to swing Po into the sky above them with immense precision. The mass of black and white took out the apes lunging through the air with his prestigious 'feet of fury' attack.

Tigress smirked, praising in her stubborn way, and quickly jumped back into the fight. It was going better than expected considering the number of opponents they we're facing. For once it seemed as though they might actually get out of a gorilla fight unscathed. Of coarse Mantis always had the upper hand in these situations. Being in his small stature he found it almost easy to defeat the lumbering apes.

"Viper to your left!" Crane squawked from above, in a twist faster than most animals could even attempt, the elegant snake was facing her pursuer. Just in time for the monstrous hand to almost close around her throat, Viper struck down the Gorilla in a snap of her emerald tail. She didn't like fighting apes. Their evolved paws had these long things attached to them. The terrible growths had a horrible habit of trying to grasp her in them! Deciding that would be her last ape, unless the other's needed help of coarse, she slithered off towards the sandy color monkey she _didn't_ intent on fighting.

An ear splitting crack erupted through the air as Monkey threw the two largest gorilla into the rocky caves around them. Tiny specks of bittersweet blood splattered onto his cheeks rewardingly. Monkey allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief but also guilt as he watched the now limp apes slide to the ground. _They won't be getting back up._

"Well done!", a dark chuckle, laced with mockery, slithered from behind them. In an instant Tigress was at the place emitting the awful laughing. An ostentatious box. The spacious, delicately painted kind of box used as transport for people of authority and of coarse carried by slaves. It had been the team's original goal to trap whatever criminal was riding in there and take them back to master Shifu for interrogation. They weren't completely sure of the details, Shifu had just told them it was imperative they bring back whomever they were pursuing without failure. Tigress had assured they would do so.

With a deep, warning growl flaring up in the back of her throat, she approached the scarlet curtain hiding the enemy.

Out the corner of her large, amber eyes, Tigress could see her teammates thrown back into a voilent battle again. The longing to fight almost convinced her to leap upon the two gaurds attacking Po, almost. Her assurance of his skills and her own determination to complete the mission, pulled her attention back to the box.

"I suggest you show yourself" Tigress growled "before I drag you out", she was stood in her usual attack stance. Long spine straight, graceful legs ready to pounce, and claws extracted and raised. Not even the abundant breath of wind, that now depressed against her orange fur , was enough to cause her to lose focus. She was braced for whatever came at her.

"Temper..." the same very devious voice hissed "theres not need to resort to voilence...". In one blindingly fast movement a jaguar, as vast as a Po and somehow as agile as Viper stood before the young tigress. His lantern jaw was somewhat relaxed for a creature surrounded by the Furious Five and of coarse, the Dragon Warrior. A set of sarcastic emerald eyes, unusual for a jaguar, burned down upon Tigress. However, not once did the young feline so much as flinch.

"So _master_ Tigress, please tell me as to why your little Valley Of Peace friends are attacking my guards?" his sarcastic voice was like sandpaper in her ears. The intimidating creature folded a set of powerful golden arms across his broad chest and smirked down at her. He didn't miss the furious flash that crossed her eyes as he dragged out her name.

"We will be taking you back to the Jade Palace, unfortunately master Shifu requires you _alive" _Tigress replied, her voice as hard as rock. She would discover how he knew them later, hopefully she would be allowed to squeeze it out of him.

"Well that old rat's going to be terribly disappointed..." a hideous smile stretched across the jaguar's face as he tested and he certainly got the reaction he expected. In the blink of an eye a solid orange foot slammed into his right cheek. Completely turning his large head. Before he could be sent flying backwards into the same fate as his two gorilla guards, a set of very sharp claws dragged him up to the eye level of an infuriated Tigress. He had gave the word to his guards on attacking the Kung Fu masters and now he was insulting their own master!

Tigress lunged forward to end the attack with her infamous roundhouse kick, but just as her toes brushed the jaguar's chest a large white paw closed around her foot. Squeezing it sharply. In one swift movement she was slammed forward into the unforgiving ground. This didn't phase Tigress. As soon as her sleek frame hit the rocky earth she was out of her attacker's grip and back on her feet. Her apricot eyes blazed when a selfrighteous smirk played on his face.

In order to prevent bad karma, Tigress avoided killing as much as her comrades...but she was seriously considering making an exception with him.

Immediately she drove into throwing more blows at the jaguar but this time, to her surprise and extreme annoyance, he blocked every hit. Tigress rolled back about 12 feet and hissed.

"It seems i'm going to have to force you" she spat, leaning back into a new position. Her bold opponent moved from his crouch on the ground and towered over Tigress.

"I'm afraid i'v already wasted enough time here my dear" the big cat uttered calmly "but don't worry, I _will _leave you with a fight...Bing, come out". The red curtain opened more sloppily this time, and although the creature stepping out of it was much heavier than the jaguar he was 10 times less intimidating. _Ha a rhino, everyone knows they can't perform Kung Fu! _Tigress thought. The smug jaguar began to walk away from them

"Oh and Tigress..." his voice was slick and painted with a twisted joy "you look exactly like your mother did, before she died of coarse...Hong-li must be proud of you".

Suddenly everything was silent. In Tigress's mind anyway. The world had stopped turning.

"WHAT?", with an ear splitting snarl, she bounded at his throat. Her hot headed attack was pointless, in less that a second the jaguar had turned and was now holding Tigress by her furry neck. The Rhino lumbered towards her, his cumbersome hammer raised behind him about to swing. Had Tigress been paying attention to him she might have noticed the white that consumed his whole eyeballs and the completely blank facial expression he wore.

" Hong-li..._your father_"

0OoO0

The illuminate sun was just beginning to set behind highest mountains of China. A beautiful orange light cast across the tranquil Valley of Peace, a sign that the working day was coming to an end. Somewhere amongst the river of sacred tears and Sakura trees, sat an official master of Kung Fu. Master Shifu. The astute red panda was perched on the highest point of the late master Oogway's stick, peacefully playing his reed flute. Now that he had achieved inner peace it had become a lot easier to find the perfect melody.

With Po and the five off on their mission, it had been a very quiet day. Usually occupied by training his students, Shifu was new to having a day to himself and decided to spend it meditating.

"Inner peace...inner peace..." he mumbled softly, catching a water drop on the back of his hand and swiftly rolling it into the other. "Inner peace...inner-", Shifu was cut off by a disorderly series of groans and complaints, his exceptionally skilled ears not failing to pick up a few stray words despite how high in the mountains he was. His students had returned. The elegant drop of water fell from his fingertips and splashed into the grass_. _Shifu groaned momentarily at having his inner peace disturbed and limped to the edge of the mountain. As expected, his students we're almost at the Jade Palace and appeared to be carrying something, or _someone_. _I'm going to have to deal with him tonight then, although i'll have to find somewhere to tie him up first if I want to get any information out of him. _

In an expeditious leap, that would bring most martial acrobats to tears, Shifu landed lightly at the top of the marble steps. Shifu examined his students carefully as they approached him. Crane and Mantis we're unscathed. Monkey and Viper we're okay save for a few scratches. Then he saw Po.

The panda all but staggered up the steps, and not just because of his weight and injury. Shifu caught his breath and it took all of his control to not run towards Po. In his his black and white arms he held Tigress. His prize student _Tigress_. With a sigh of extreme relief the Kung Fu master's large ears picked up her heart beat. However, he contijnued to examine her form. Her tail hung limp, her claws still extended from battle, and the delicate pattering of black on her forehead and cheeks were sprayed with blood.

"What on earth happened?" he demanded, concern evident in his eyes.

**A/N: Sorry it's kind of short, but the next chapter will surely be longer :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey people! Here's the second chapter of 'A Losing Game' :D I'm not entirely sure what kind of relationship I'm going for with Tigress and Shifu. However, I believe that a romantic relationship could not be considered incest at all (as many of you seem to believe) Mainly because they are not actually father and daughter nor are they blood related. The two have never been able to form a father and daughter relationship anyway because of Tai Lung so I believe it has been kept strictly master and student. But like I said, I'm really not sure where I'm going with these two yet! Enjoy and please leave more reviews! :)**

_Blood. Is it blood? It couldn't be. No one was bleeding. Then what was this sticky mess that painted every square inch of the world crimson? Tigess didn't know. How could she? The towering shadow stood with it's broad back to her, hiding everything she didn't wish to see. Reality. The furiosty that boiled inside her everytime she looked at this creature was overshadowed by a somehow inevitable need to be near him. To be close enough to tear him appart, and she **would** have to be close. A light, the kind of blindingly harsh light, struck the ground between herself and the enemy. Stopping her in her tracks. There was a voice now. It was gentle yet strict as it called her name. Before she could turn around, the new light seemed to reveal the path ahead of her, and of coarse her opponant. Silver, black and a set of sparkling yellow eyes. A striking pain of realization shot through her. The voice behind demanded her to turn around and she did so. What else could she do? The man now facing her was shadowed by darkness. However, she was just able to make out a pursuing brown hand as it stretched out towards her... "Tigress..."_

"Tigress?"

Immaculate, paper panels above we're the first things her eyes came into contact with as she awoke. Then came the distorted faces of three very concerned Kung Fu masters as they leaned over her. She didn't notice as the farthest but strangely the most concerned, face blinked and moved away.

"Is she awake?", the voice of a blurry black and white figure pulled her into conciousness

"her eyes are open...", a softer voice this time. Tigress, confused and slightly disorientated, shot up from her bedroll earning worried gasps from her watchers.

"What's going on?" she demanded in a half pant, a delicate emerald tail pressed against her chest and gently pushed her back down.

"You got hit pretty hard sister" Viper smiled, gesturing to the left side of the tiger's white jaw. Tigress, shimmering eyes wild with confusion of her dream, placed her soft paw over the fur on her cheek only to wince at the unforgiving wound that now stained her face. It was odd seeing Tigress beaten, a rare occasion Viper had only ever experienced with Tai Lung. It certainly served as a stab to the rest of the Five's confidence when she was knocked out, but sure enough they had managed to defeat her attacker with ease. So why couldn't Tigress? Viper chewed her lip nervously whilst examining her friend.

"Don't worry Tigress" Po grinned, nudging her shoulder "I freakin' nailed that dude that whacked you!". He began punching the air in a puerile kind of manner. Tigress stared at the fat panda with calculating eyes. She remembered fighting, lots of it and then purpose. A golden jaguar, much larger than herself and finally fear for something she could not recollect. Her mind couldn't register any more than that, but with extreme annoyance she assumed she had been attacked.

"I could have taken him _easily_", Tigress was fully awake now and she brushed Po's paw away gingerly as she sat up. Tigress was angry at herself. How could she, the leader of the Furious Five, have been injured by a guard! Apparently knocked clean out of battle as well!

Tigress was about to confront Viper when rays of the first light of day illuminated the room. Immediately Tigress was thrown into panic.

"What..what time is it?" she gasped, throwing the doors of her bedroom apart until the fresh sunlight lit up her frame magnificently. She cringed away from it.

"Morning" a somewhat blunt voice from behind her stated "you have been unconscious since eight o'clock last _night_". Tigress knew the voice, and she would cross the world twice over to answer it. She turned swiftly, an expression of shock plain in her eyes as she faced her master. Realization hit her like a bus. She was injured from a mission...a mission Shifu had given and despite knowing the importance of completion she had failed. Her eyes dropped desperately away from Shifu and to the beige mats covering her floor. _How could this happen? How could I **let** this happen? What kind of idiocy was I experiencing yesterday? I'll lose my reputation, my-_

"Hey, hey calm down Tigress" Viper, upon seeing her closest friend struggling, slithered onto her shoulder " your heartbeat's going crazy!". Tigress didn't look at the snake, but for the first time in a while she craved her comfort. "Yeah Tigress, it's not the end of the world" Po's chuckling rang in her small ears. she glared at the panda. _He isn't helping...but he means well. _An over whelming sense of defeat made her stomach sink and she rose to her feet, head hanging miserably.

"Master..." she pleaded, awaiting her scolding with desperation. Shifu, standing seemingly as far away from his student as possible, observed Tigress carefully with his icy narrow eyes. A few seconds of edgy silence passed before he finally spoke, his voice thick with authority.

"Po, Viper resume training...I will speak to Tigress alone", he kept his eyes on Tigress as he spoke, assuming his other students would do as he said. As expected the two nodded and, after throwing a quick reassuring glance at Tigress, they left._ Good. Hopefully he plans on punishing me. _Tigress needed it, although she doubted it could really relieve her of the sinking in her stomach.

"How could you be defeated so easily Tigress?" Shifu's voice was rougher than usual and burned through her ears like a strict fire, she dreaded to look in his eyes.

"I am sorry" she apologized, bowing down respectfully so that she was on his level._ Just tell me to go, to leave the Jade Palace..._

The red panda observed his star student attentively, her posture was perfect right down to her sleek tail. However, almost the whole of her cheek was painted in an ugly purple colour and there was a small ruby slit in the left corner of her lip. Sure she had come home with battle scars before, it was only to be expected from the missions he sent them on...not to say he liked it in the slightest but combat was inevitable. This was different. She had gone down without resistance, completely knocked out of battle and the rest of the night for that matter. That wasn't the Tigress Shifu knew. Ever since he had brought her to the Jade Palace she had proven the most adamant student to succeed he had ever taught, in fact, most of the time she would carry the others home! _How could she have been wiped out of battle so thoroughly? Surely a blow to the head wouldn't have had her unconscious for so long? _Shifu continued to wrack his thoughts, completely oblivious to the fact that all the while he remained staring at Tigress. _She came back somewhat traumatised, perhaps something had frightened her? But what could possibly frighten a girl so fearless? _

"I wan't to know why exactly-"

"Master, I have failed you and I won't-"

"Tigress!" Shifu snapped impatiently, hitting his staff against the frame of the wall "you did not answer my question". He didn't like to snap at her, truth be told he cared less and less about the mission every time he looked at the dried blood on her cheek. But it _was_ important. Tigress seemed to cringe into herself and fall lower to her knees. She was master Tigress, she would bow to no one...but her master was different.

"look at me" Shifu sighed, appeased as a set of dazzling ruby eyes met his own "I trust you understand the importance of the situation here". Tigress nodded weakly, fighting the urge to hang her head in shame. Shifu _had _told her, she was always the one he confirmed with when he was sending them on something important. However, he had not told her everything.

"I won't waste more time concerning over your battle Tigress" Shifu's eyes we're somewhat apathetic - "but you do need to know _why_ this is so substantial"

Tigress exhaled narrowing her eyes,_ so he isn't going to punish me even though I deserve it? He does seem mad though and he has every right to be..._

The feline wondered helplessly how much worse knowing would make her feel.

Shifu took a pensive step towards Tigress and motioned for her to stand

"the jaguar I wanted you to capture is no ordinary criminal Tigress, I believe he is Dao-Kahn... the same Dao-Kahn that almost destroyed Fungzhou village but was stopped by-"

"Master Shifu!" a breathless honk from outside broke through the formal conversation and caused Tigress to growl quietly. _Now what? _Just as the masters turned Zeng flapped to the edge of the open door, navy feathers flying everywhere and careful not to step into the room.

"What is it Zeng? Shifu demanded

"bandits! In the water village!"

Shifu glanced at Tigress quickly as she got up, before turning his back on her.

"Stay here and rest, I will inform the others to go without you" Shifu's words we're so austere that, despite her desire to fight, Tigress bowed "later". It was more of a command than a goodbye.

The day passed slower than Tigress would have liked, she had spent the morning in her room under her master's orders but eventually escaped to the training hall. With nothing to do, it was almost impossible to evade the guilty thoughts straining her mind. She decided that occupied with training she'd have little time to ponder on failing missions and convicts by the name of Dao-Khan. To her extreme relief it had worked to some extent.

The alert feline glided through the training hall eyes closed, dodging every club of instant oblivion as though she was simply dancing. The evening sun was just starting to dim over the rocky horizon, Tigress had been at it for five hours now but still not the tiniest bit tired. She lunged at the seven talon-rings like a hunter would attack it's prey and effortlessly slipped through the first ring. Tigress didn't really notice as the doors swung open but for a split second she was distracted.

Not by the doors, but by a hideous image of golden face and a set of eyes burning with hatred. A cat's face. Dao-kun? No it looked much younger and it seemed more of a flashback than a vision.

A sharp silver blade from the outer edge of the second ring grazed over her foot and brought Tigress directly back to reality. Her ruby eyes widened in realization, her move had been refracted and so she did the only thing she could do to prevent herself being sliced to pieces. Her whole body flipped in mid air and her powerful fist smacked into the top of the ring, instantly crushing it.

"Woah easy Tiger! I see you're feeling better" Crane chuckled, having just dodged a piece of flying wood. Tigress landed less graceful than usual onto the maroon floorboards. _One would think I was loosing** my mind** this week. _She hissed at herself and climbed back onto the training obstacles.

"Hardly. What did the bandits want?" Tigress asked half heartedly, she wasn't really in the mood to talk.

"Oh just the usual" Crane mumbled, jumping straight into his forms" they we're panthers this time though"

"I thought they fled to the south years ago?"

"apparently not..."

The jade tortoise swayed under Crane's lean legs as he reached one down into the centre and picked up another piece of debris.

"You know, Master Shifu is gonna' be pretty annoyed that he has to replace another obstacle" Crane raised an eyebrow of questioning at Tigress "it isn't like you to miss the rings Tigress"

"I know" she grumbled, shooting Crane the kind of 'I don't really care' look. _It isn't like me to miss the rings...like it isn't like me to be defeated...like it isn't like me to fail a-"_

"Don't be so hard on yourself it was just one mission" Crane saw through her mask, he had known her since she was twelve years old and her stressed expression had never changed.

"One mission" Tigress repeated, slowing down her movements and mentally punching herself, Crane looked at his anxious companion in confusion

"but it was just one mission Tigress not the end of the world" Crane tried "don't be so hard on yourself". It was odd talking to Crane about herself, usually the topic of conversation was Viper. Had Tigress been in a somewhat good mood she would have laughed at the memories. Crane would always train with her on Sundays, and almost _all_ of the time she spent it answering silly questions on her reptile friend. Whenever she wasn't herself Crane all but ran to Tigress. It was obvious he was mad on her and Tigress was convinced she felt the same way. However, bring up the subject and the two would dive head first into a series of babbling denials. Now she finally _had_ the chance to talk about something, it was the least thing she wanted.

"You don't understand...I have _never_ failed a mission at the Jade Palace, it was important too...Shifu told me before we left" Tigress growled, smashing the palm of her large paw into the club ahead

"Well i'm sure Shifu won't be terribly angry at you, you're like his foster daughter or something right?".

Tigress flinched momentarily

"no! Well...he fostered me as a_ student_, I can see he doesn't think of me as a foster daughter" Tigress countered quickly, Crane didn't miss the slight, definitely _slight,_ trace of disappointment that threaded through her voice. '_The ice queen's melting' _Crane thought, laughing to himself. It was true. Tigress and Shifu had never bonded like a foster father and daughter, they never had the chance. Tigress blamed Tai Lung, whilst Shifu blamed himself. Although when Tigress really thought about it, which happened more often than not when she was younger, perhaps it was a good thing; in having a strictly master and student relationship, Shifu had never gone easy on Tigress and so she had a greater self discipline. Although growing up without the comforts of a mother and father had an impact on Tigress. _To have a mother...and a father..._

Father. Tigress's eyes widened into frozen orange saucepans. _**Father. **_

"Hong...Hong-Li..." Tigress gasped, her heart almost stopping right there. That's what her hideous opponent had said before she was wiped out. Her father was _alive_. Before Crane could question her, she bolted out the door and began running to the only person she could.

**A/N: Apologies for the lack of action in this chapter guys, but I did add some Crane/Viper to make up for it :D! If ya like em! **


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